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Thursday, December 31, 2009

Behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. (Luke 2:25-26)

Forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought him to Jerusalem, to the temple to be dedicated to the Lord (Luke 2:22-24). This was standard practice for all firstborn children, according to the Law of Moses. There was nothing unusual about what they were doing … except for what happened next.

It is as this point in his narrative that Luke introduces us to Simeon, and in a very significant way — with the word Behold. In the Bible, “behold” is a word that focuses our attention and calls us to see something of importance. Others in the temple that day might not have noticed what happened next, but Luke does not want us to miss it.

Simeon was a man of no special prominence in Jerusalem. Neither a priest, nor a politician, nor a religious leader. But he was a man who had received a very special promise from God, revealed to him by the Holy Spirit: Before he died, Simeon would lay his yes on God’s Messiah.

Now, on the very same day that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus into the temple, the Holy Spirit led Simeon in also. “By the Spirit” is how Luke puts it. We do not know exactly how it was, whether it was a conscious revelation or merely a prompting in Simeon’s spirit, to which he had learned to be obedient. However it happened, the Spirit of God got him there at precisely the right place and precisely the right time.

It was a moment of fulfillment, for Simeon, certainly, but more importantly, it was a realization of God’s plan from the beginning. His purpose in Adam, in Abraham, in Jacob, in Moses and the children of Israel, in King David and all the prophets, was now being realized in the presentation of Jesus. Simeon immediately recognized Him for who He was — the Messiah, God’s Anointed. Scooping Him up in his arms, Simeon blessed God:

Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

(Luke 2:29-32)

Now, coming into the temple at that same moment was a very elderly prophetess named Anna. She had been a widow for about 84 years and had spent her life fasting and praying, night and day, in the temple courts (vv.36-37).Perhaps she had seen Simeon before. Perhaps they had spoken about the promise he had received. Or perhaps it was a life spent in prayer which sharpened her senses so that, when she saw Simeon with Mary and Joseph and Jesus, she immediately understood what was happening. Though Luke does not say, there is no reason to doubt that she, too, was led in by the Spirit. Recognizing the presence of Jesus, Her response was simple, but significant. “She gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem” (v. 38).

You see, like Simeon, Anna had an expectation that the Anointed One would soon come and God’s promise would be fulfilled. And they were not the only ones. There were others also who had such an expectation and “looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” Anna sought them out and shared the good news with them.

Of course, Anna and Simeon were old and would not get to see Jesus move through the stages in His life. They would not witness the cross or see His in resurrection. No matter. They had learned to hear the voice of God and to be led by the Spirit. They had learned to live in expectation of the promise of God. They had learned to behold, and to understand what they were seeing. They had seen enough to know that God’s kingdom purpose in Israel would be fulfilled and all the world would be blessed by it. It was now beginning before their eyes.

Two thousand years later, we have still not yet seen the full manifestation God’s kingdom in the world, the will of God being done thoroughly and completely on earth as it is in heaven. But it has begun and is increasing every day. Jesus said, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing and forceful men lay hold of it” (Matthew 11:12 NIV). “The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16). The apostle John put it like this: “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining” (1 John 2:8).

The infant Messiah, beheld and blessed by Simeon and Anna, grew to manhood and went to the cross for our sake. Forty days after His resurrection, He ascended to His throne at the right hand of the Father. We are now living in the days of King Jesus the Messiah, Lord of heaven and earth. Of Him, the prophet Isaiah said, “Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end” (Isaiah 9:7).

As you look to a new year, do you hear the promise of God? Do you see the kingdom of God breaking into the world and increasing? Do you behold King Jesus? Do you pray as He taught us, “Kingdom of God, come. Will of God, be done on earth as it is in heaven”? Do you yield yourself to be led by the Spirit of God, that this expectation may come to pass in you?

Thursday, December 24, 2009

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!” (ESV)

This is the crescendo of the good news the angel of the Lord announced to shepherds on the night Jesus was born. A multitude of angels now appeared in the heavens with this praise.

Glory to God in the highest. The highest praises heaven can offer belong to God as He brings forth the fulfillment of the promises He made to Abraham, David and the prophets. God’s gift of the Messiah King, Jesus, is the greatest revelation of His glory.

Peace on earth. The coming of Jesus into the world brings the peace, the shalom, of God. It is wholeness, restoration, reconciliation, the mending of rifts between God and man, man and fellow man, man and creation.

Among those with whom He is pleased. The coming of Jesus into the world is the pleasure of God revealed.

It is this last point that I want to focus on here. The Greek for “pleased” is eudokia. It is used often in the New Testament to speak of God’s pleasure and delight. The angels’ announcement meant that God’s favor and good will were now being made manifest on the objects of His delight.

What is it that delights God and who are those with whom He is pleased, who bring Him pleasure?

First, it is Jesus Himself that pleases God, not only in His divinity (in which the Father always delighted) but now also in His humanity. When Jesus was baptized by John, identifying with repentant sinners whom He came to save, the voice of the Father came from heaven and said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased [eudokeo]” (Luke 3:22). It was repeated again at the mount of transfiguration, where Jesus shone in all His glory and the voice of the Father said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased [eudokeo]. Hear Him!” (Matthew 17:5).

Eudokeo is the word used when Matthew quotes the prophet Isaiah concerning Messiah and which Matthew applies to Jesus: “Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles” (Matthew 13:18; it is also the word used in the LXX, the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, in Isaiah 42:1, the passage Matthew cites).

Jesus used this same word when He spoke to His disciples about the kingdom: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). And in His prayer of thanksgiving when the disciples returned rejoicing, having healed the sick, expelled demonic spirits and preached the kingdom of God in Jesus’ name: “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good [eudokia] in Your sight” (Luke 10:21). It pleases God to reveal His kingdom to those who simply trust Him.

Again and again, it is in Jesus Christ that the pleasure of God is revealed. Paul says that God “predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure [eudokia] of His will …having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure [eudokia] which He purposed in Himself.” (Ephesians 1:5, 9). “For it pleased [eudokia] the Father that in Him [Jesus] all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross” (Colossians 1:19).

But it is also in us that God desires to show His pleasure. Paul says, “It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure [eudokia]” (Philippians 2:13). In 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, he says, “Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure [eudokia] of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”

God is doing a work of faith in us, His power manifesting in us to reveal the glory of King Jesus dwelling within. It is His good pleasure to bring this work to fulfillment in us.

It is by faith that we enter into the richness of God’s pleasure. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). The Greek word for “please” here is not eudokia but euarestio, but it means the same thing. Without faith, it is impossible to please, but believing God and seeking Him with great expectation pleases God greatly.

Paul tells us, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17). So, “since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased [eudokeo] God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Corinthians 1:21). It pleases God for us to believe the good news of Jesus the Messiah and, through faith, bring us to restoration and wholeness in Him.

The coming of King Jesus into the world reveals the glory of God and the peace of God but also the pleasure of God.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

On the night of Jesus’ birth, an angel of the Lord appeared to lowly shepherds tending their flocks in a nearby field. The glory of the Lord flooded them with brilliant light. They had never seen anything like this before and it was far beyond anything they could have ever imagined.

They were terrified. But then they heard a voice that turned their terror to wonder:

Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

Good tidings! Great joy! And it would be for all people, even those of low estate and low esteem — like the shepherds. Quite unexpectedly, they now found themselves at the hinge point in the history of the world, and the birth of a king was being heralded to them. In a field. At night. By an angel of the Lord.

“For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (v. 11)

This was not about just any king, but about the King. The Anointed One promised by God through the prophets long ago. The descendent of David who would sit on his throne and reign forever. This was about Christ the Lord — the Messiah King!

“And this will be a sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling, lying in a manger.” (v. 12)

Such an exalted King; such a humble entrance into His domain. Wrapped in strips of old cloth and cradled in a feeding trough. That would be the sign to the shepherds. Surely they needed that sign or else they would have been looking in all the wrong places for all the wrong reasons. Expecting to see finery and a royal court in attendance, they would have felt very much out of place.

Now a multitude of the heavenly army appeared, for as marvelous as this news was for shepherds, it was just as wonderful for angels. They could no longer remain silent but began praising God:

Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men. (v. 14)

The angels were well aware of the glory of God that flooded heaven and filled the earth (Isaiah 6:3), but now they were witnessing the announcement of good news and redemption entering the world. It is something that, as Peter says, the angels of God eagerly desire to look into, stooping down and craning their necks, as it were, to gaze upon this great mystery (1 Peter 1:12). What they had greatly anticipated was now being realized, and they were in awe.

At the birth of Jesus the Messiah King, shepherds trembled in unexpected wonder and angels stooped deeply in awe.

Monday, December 7, 2009

For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

(Isaiah 9:6 ESV)

So far in this prophetic song, Isaiah has spoken of the dawn of a great light in the midst of darkness (see His Coming Brings Light), the enlargement of the nation of Israel, ecstatic joy like that of the harvest and of portioning out the spoils of victorious battle. He has sung of the yoke being shattered, the burden being destroyed, and the rod of the oppressor being broken (see His Coming Brings Increase and Joy).

How would all this come about? Isaiah reveals the surprising answer, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given.” The dawning of the light comes in the birth of a child. Not just any child, but one that is given, or sent, by God. This is the Anointed Son prophesied by King David in Psalm 2:

“Yet I have set My King
On My holy hill of Zion.”
I will declare the decree:
The LORD has said to me,
“You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
You shall break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.”

(Psalm 2:6-9)

It is this Messiah King of which Isaiah now sings. For the government will rest upon His shoulders and to Him will be given dominion — a kingdom. He is called by a series of titles, all of which emphasize His divinity.

Wonderful. The Hebrew word refers to miracles that distinguish Him from all others and inspire wonder. Messiah would not only work wonders but would Himself be a wonder.

Counselor. This speaks of great wisdom and purpose, and the ability to guide His people with divine counsel.

Mighty God. He does not come as merely a divine-like being but as the one true God, as this name indicates elsewhere in Scripture (see Deuteronomy 10:17; Jeremiah 32:8; Nehemiah 9:32; and especially, because it is so close in context, Isaiah 10:21). It is a name that indicates divine power and strength.

Everlasting Father, or Father of Eternity. As such, He will not decline, as other kings must, but will rule and reign forever.

Prince of Peace. His reign is one that brings peace (Hebrew, shalom). This is prosperity of every kind and wholeness in every way.

Isaiah now turns our attention to the kingdom of this eternal King.

Of the increase of his government and of peace
There will be no end,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it
With justice and with righteousness
From this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

(Isaiah 9:7 ESV)

The Holman Christian Standard Bible renders it this way: “The dominion will be vast and its prosperity will never end.” The reign of God’s Messiah King will increase until His glory is revealed in all the earth, and every nation of the world will experience the peace and prosperity of His dominion. This was God’s plan in choosing Abraham in the first place, and making of Him a great nation. And this was His purpose in choosing David, a “man after My own heart,” to be its king.

This divine plan is now in the process of being fulfilled in the reign of King Jesus, son of David and son of Abraham, to redeem humanity, restore all of creation and accomplish the mandate God gave Adam to “be fruitful and multiply,” “fill the earth and subdue it,” and “have dominion” (Genesis 1:28). He is now establishing and enlarging His kingdom throughout the earth. It is a kingdom of justice and rightness that will last forever.

Though it has not yet come in all its fullness, this kingdom is already breaking into the world and it will be complete when the King comes again. Just as Jesus first entered the world as a child but then grew up into His destiny, likewise, His kingdom starts small but continues to grow until it will one day fill the earth. For it is the zeal of the LORD of Hosts, the intense desire and purpose of God, to bring it through to completeness.

The coming of King Jesus the Messiah brings the dominion of God into all the world.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

You have multiplied the nation;
You have increased its joy;
They rejoice before you
As with joy at the harvest,
As they are glad when they divide the spoil.

(Isaiah 9:3 ESV)

The prophet Isaiah has slipped into prophetic poetry (beginning in verse 2; see His Coming Brings Light). It was not the song the people in his own day were singing but one that would arise in the northern and southern territory of Galilee. It is cast in a prophetic tense, and that he sings it as though it were already accomplished demonstrates the surety that it would come to pass.

The Hebrew word for “multiplied” means increase, abundance, expansion, enlargement, to become great and many. Israel, the people of the promise given to Abraham, would multiply and increase, in number and influence, because of the light that would dawn in Galilee. But there would also be an increase in joy, like that of harvest time. The time of sowing in tears past; the time of reaping and gathering begun. A festival time. And gladness, like that of dividing the spoils. Ecstatic joy! The Hebrew word for “gladness” here literally means to turn about or spin around. Why? Because the enemy has been broken and what was stolen has been restored, with plenty more besides. See how the prophet sings in verses 4-5:

For the yoke of his burden,
And the staff for his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
You have broken as on the day of Midian.
For every boot of the tramping warrior in battle tumult
And every garment rolled in blood
Will be burned as fuel for the fire.

(ESV)

The lifting of the burden, the breaking of the yoke, deliverance from the oppressor — this is the work of the anointing (see Isaiah 10:27; the KJV particularly brings out that this is anointing). It is the work of the Anointed One — Messiah! It is fulfilled in the coming of King Jesus, who took the text of Isaiah 61as the charter of His ministry. Standing in the synagogue to read, as He began His ministry, He unfolded the scroll of Isaiah to that place and began:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Then sitting down to teach, He announced, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:17-22). It was the kingdom of God breaking into the world. Not all at once and in all its fullness, but as a seed that has been growing and expanding ever since.

All this the prophet foretold would begin in Galilee, in the circle of the nations. For as Isaiah 9:6-7 will go on to show, it is not only for Israel’s, but for all the nations of the earth (see His Coming Brings Divine Dominion).

The coming of King Jesus the Messiah into the world brings abundance of blessing and ecstatic joy.

Friday, December 4, 2009

The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
On them has light shined.

(Isaiah 9:2 ESV)

Isaiah 9 is a messianic prophecy. That is, it foretells the coming of Messiah into the world. Verse 1 speaks of the judgment the northern tribes of Israel were about to experience because of their rebellion against God. But there was also a promise of a time of restoration:

But there will be no gloom for her who was in anguish. In the former time he brought into contempt the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the latter time he has made glorious the way of the sea, the land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations. (ESV)

Zebulun was in lower portion of Galilee and Naphtali in the upper. But both were overshadowed, oppressed by the Syrians and Phoenicians and corrupted by their ways. The “way of the sea” was the region of the Sea of Galilee. “Galilee” comes from a Hebrew word that means “circle.” These tribes were surrounded, encircled by the nations in upper Galilee.

However, the light of Yahweh would once again break through the darkness and shine brightly in this region. After a long night, a new dawn would come.

Matthew finds this new dawn in the ministry of Jesus. However, it was not just the dawning of Jesus’ ministry, but the kingdom of God arising in the earth, now present in the person of the King.

Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee. And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:

The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
Galilee of the Gentiles:
The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light,
And upon those who sat in the region
and shadow of death
Light has dawned.

From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:12-17)

Years before, an old man named Simeon had been watching for its coming, for he had received a promise from God that he would see it in his lifetime. On the day Mary and Joseph brought their infant Child for dedication in the Temple, the Spirit of God led Simeon in also. When he saw Jesus, he took Him up in his arms and praised God:

Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace,
According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation
Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples,
A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles,
And the glory of Your people Israel.”

(Luke 2:29-32)

The coming of King Jesus the Messiah into the world brings a light that reveals the glory of God to all the nations of the earth.

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

God rest you merry, gentlemen
Let nothing you dismay
Remember Christ our Savior
Was born on Christmas day
To save us all from satan’s power
When we were gone astray
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

This, of course, is from that hearty old English carol, “God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen.” It speaks not only of comfort, but also of joy and merriment, just as the Gospel does, the good news that King Jesus has come into the world.

In the Old Testament, the prophet Isaiah brought God’s promise of comfort for His people, comfort that would be fulfilled through the Messiah, the Anointed (see Christmas in Isaiah):

“Comfort, yes, comfort My people!”
Says your God.
“Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her,
That her warfare is ended,
That her iniquity is pardoned.”

(Isaiah 40:1-2)

In verse 11, he speaks of God coming to them as a tender shepherd:

He will feed His flock like a shepherd;
He will gather the lambs with His arm,
And carry them in His bosom,
And gently lead those who are with young.

David knew Him as “The LORD My Shepherd” and drew great comfort from the assurance that His rod and staff were always present to protect and guide (Psalm 23:1, 4). In the New Testament, He is revealed in King Jesus the Messiah, who said of Himself, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

Comfort.

But also great joy. On the night of Jesus’ birth, the angels announced to shepherds in a nearby field “good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people” (Luke 2:10). The shepherds came glorifying and praising God for this marvelous news (v. 20). Likewise, when the wise men, seeing that the star which guided them on their quest came to its rest over the place where the young Child was, they “rejoiced with exceeding great joy” (Matthew 2:10) — joy without limit.

From God our heavenly Father
The blessed angels came
And unto certain shepherds
With tidings of the same
How that was born in Bethlehem
The Son of God by name
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

The apostle Paul spoke of the kingdom of God, the one Jesus announced was now present in the world, the one over which Jesus now ruled and reigned at the right hand of the Father, as a kingdom of joy: “The kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). And he offered this benediction: “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (Romans 15:13).

The apostle John, who experienced firsthand the joy of knowing King Jesus in His earthly ministry, said:

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life — the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us — that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

Not only because Jesus has rescued us from satan’s power — and indeed, as John notes, “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8) — but more than that, because it is in Jesus the Messiah that we have fellowship with God.

Now, this is indeed cause for comfort, joy, and merriment. It is the greatest news we could ever receive, and the third verse of this old carol shows us how to celebrate it:

Now to the Lord sing praises
All those within this place
And with true love and brotherhood
Each other now embrace
This holy tide of Christmas
All others doth deface
O tidings of comfort and joy
Comfort and joy
O tidings of comfort and joy

God rest you merry in this Advent and Christmas season.

You can listen to a bit of this carol as well as the other songs from our Christmas album here.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

That’s a line from a traditional Christmas carol of the West Indies, “The Virgin Mary Had a Baby Boy.” We include that song in our Christmas project. In fact, we named our Christmas album after it: He Come from the Glory.

The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
The Virgin Mary had a baby boy
And the name of that child was Jesus

He come from the glory
He come from the glorious kingdom
He come from the glory
He come from the glorious kingdom

I’ve adapted the song a little bit, adding a little bridge section and some new lyrics, which is why we call this carol “He Come from the Glory” instead of by its traditional name:

Oh, the shepherds bow and the angels sing
And the wise men, they come a’wondering
Hallelujah for the newborn King
The name of that child was Jesus

Jesus came down here from the kingdom of glory, the kingdom of God. But He did not just come down to us from that glory and kingdom; He came with them, bringing them to us. Indeed, He came as the king of that kingdom.

The more I study the Gospel, the more I see that it is the good news about the kingdom of God, the rule and reign of God through Jesus the Messiah King. That is why, when Jesus grew up and began His ministry, He said, “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel” (Mark 1:15; see The Gospel Jesus Preached). Every promise and prophecy of the Hebrew Scriptures converged on this, the coming of the King with His kingdom (see The Gospel of the King and The Gospel of God’s Messiah King).

You can listen to a bit of this carol as well as the other songs from our Christmas album here.

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